The Muse
by Blainderson
Summary: It's been 12 years since college graduation and Julia is still in love with her sophomore boyfriend. Could Lauren's baby bring the two together, or are they destined to be a thing of the past? Lots of Starkid pairings. Mostly Darren/Julia and Lauren/Joey Rated M for later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**Again I am failing with updating. I am currently writing Chapter 2 of this fiction so I can say there will be continued at least to a Chapter 2. None of the information's going to be all that accurate so please don't hurt me if some information is wrong. I don't own anything. Please enjoy! **

October 12, 2021

It had been 12 years since graduation, five years since their last Starkid Production, and three years since she had seen him. Three years since she had seen the boy she had fallen in love with when she was 20, the last boy she ever loved.

Julia was now 34, and her life was productive as always. With all her experience as a director for the countless Starkid productions, and tours she had gotten into a little bit of movie producing and directing. She had a few films under he belt, which was more than a lot of 34 year olds could say. She was happy, or at least she thought she was.

Yes. Julia had been single for quite some time, never finding the right guy who could sweep her off her feet, which kind of upset her because this was in no way apart of the plan. Her plan was to get married no later than age 30, a plan she clearly broke four years ago. She lived alone, Lauren and Jaime had moved off, gotten married, and she was in countless weddings as a bridesmaid or in Lauren's case a maid of honor. Of course she was happy for her best friends but she felt apart of herself missing. All of her best friends were married, and here she was alone, living with her cats.

Not really but she might as well have been.

She had gotten out of Chicago, thinking that a move to LA would be more suitable for a working director. Of course it was, but it wasn't necessarily a place she was easily finding love. She wasn't the average LA beauty. She wasn't blonde, she wasn't 100 pounds, and she didn't have sky-high legs. She was Julia, and she was always going to be that. Just Julia.

She rolled out of bed and checked her clock. It was 10:43 and she was meeting Lauren for coffee in the Starbucks near her apartment. She apparently had some major news that she had to tell her best friend in person. Julia groaned. She knew what it had to have been. Lauren and Joey had been married for five years, they were more than likely expecting their first child. Why else would Lauren have to see Julia?

Julia took a hot shower and quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater before quickly drying her hair and putting a bit of makeup on. It was just coffee, and it was just Lauren. It's not like she really was good at impressing the Barista. He didn't really even give her a second glance. With this she knew she was getting old and her time was running out.

She lugged herself to the Starbucks and sulked into a chair as she waited for her dainty friend. Lauren was always late. Julia broke off a piece of her muffin and popped it into her mouth as the five foot brunette sauntered into the now busy coffee shop.

"Julia!" she exclaimed as she ran up to her best friend. "It's so good to see you! I feel like it's been too long!'

'I know!" Julia added. "I missed you too Lo. How's Joey?"

"He's fantastic. He got an audition for a new movie along side Ryan Reynolds! Could you imagine? I'm praying he gets the part. Maybe I can do lunch with Blake Lively."

Julia just laughed. As happy as she was for Lauren, she still was slightly jealous of the happy marriage she had and Julia lacked.

Lauren sat down in the chair beside Julia and took a sip of her mocha. "So how're things with you?"

"Things are okay. I'm producing a little Indy film starting next month so that should be exciting. But everything is pretty much exactly how it was the last time we saw each other." Julia said as she played with the cardboard around her cup.

"Any guys?" Lauren asked in hopes of a positive answer. She hated that her best friend couldn't find a guy who understood her busy schedule. Julia was a catch, but Lauren felt like her friend had a hard time seeing that.

"Lauren, don't you think you'd be one of the first people to know if I was seeing someone? You call me everyday and we have the same conversation. You ask me this question at least three times a week. I'm fine Lauren. Really. I'm not upset about it. I've learned to deal with the fact that maybe prince charming isn't out there for me."

"Julia…there is a guy out there for you. You just need to find him. That's all." Lauren reached for her best friends hand. "You know you're always welcome over if you get lonely."

"Thanks Lauren. But I'm fine. I promise." It's okay." Julia gave Lauren half a smile as she took another sip of her coffee. 'So, why'd you bring me here today? I figured it would be something important."

"Oh right." Lauren smiled. "I'm pregnant."

Julia smiled back. Knew it. "I'm so happy for you Lauren. How far along are you?"

"I'm about two months in. Joey and I wanted you and Darren to be the first of our friends to know. Since you two are going to be the godparents."

Julia froze. No. No. No. No. She couldn't be godparents with Darren. This would ruin every wall she has built up since her sophomore year of high school. She couldn't she wouldn't.

"Lauren. I'd love to be the child's godparent."

Suck up.

Lauren clapped and smiled. "Thank you Lauren. You have no idea how much this means to me. We want you to be in the child's life constantly. You're my best friend and I can't wait until we can share these memories together."

"Me too." Julia said leaning over to hug her best friend. "So, Darren. How's he doing? I haven't seen or spoken to him in a few years. We kind of lost contact after he married Mia."

Laurens eyebrows rose and she suddenly got that look on her face. The look that meant Lauren had some gossip. "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?" Julia asked.

"Mia cheated on Darren."

"W-what?"

"He walked in on her screwing one of her old band mates."

"That's horrible! The poor guy…"

"Yeah. He filed for divorce not even 24 hours later. I guess he means business. They've been divorced for a year and a half now. "

"Wow…I'm sure he's doing well, plenty of girls would be begging to get a date with Darren."

And that's when Lauren's lips curled into a smile. "He's single."

**So that was Chapter one! Please hit the review button and tell me what you think! Until next time! **

**MWAH. **


	2. Chapter 2

**HELLO. Here is the second installment of The Muse. Some stuff may not make sense with chapter one because I didn't really know where I wanted to go with the story but now I do. So, if there is some stuff that doesn't make sense, I apologize. But I hope you enjoy and the third chapter is already in the mist. **

May 9, 2007

Julia was sitting at her desk writing a term paper for one of her classes when she heard a knock on the door. "Lauren," she called. "I swear if you left you key again I'm going to—" she stopped once she opened the door. In front of her stood a mess of unruly curls, beautiful hazel eyes and a boyish grin.

"I'm sorry I'm not Lauren." The boy said with a smile.

"You know," Julia started. "My roommate should be home soon, I don't think she's going to be happy that someone isn't in his room writing music for a web series he's going to be in." Julia smirked.

The boy laughed. "That's actually why I'm here. I'm stuck! I need a little inspiration. And we both know how great you are with words. So…Can you help a brother out?"

"Darren I have a final tomorrow. I can't help you right now."

"Please Jules! Give me like ten minutes! I'll be super quiet. Maybe I just need like a new space to write. The walls of my room haven't spoken to me today."

"You're insane. Sit. And be quiet." Julia went back to her desk and Darren followed as he sat at Lauren's.

He began to tap his pencil on the desk and Julia quickly turned herself around. "How far are you?" she asked rolling her eyes and scooting herself closer to Darren

He flashed her the 'I knew you'd break' smile as he replied "I've got a few verses for each song, but I can't seem to finish these two." He pushes over two untitled pieces of work. "this one," he said pointing to one on top. "Is for Sami, I figured it'd make sense if I called it Sami cause like it's about Sami…" he laughed and she shook her head. He's a goon.

"Okay." She said fixing her glasses and reading the few lines he had for "Sami"

_I've seen her face_

_I've heard her name_

_I've lost my place and she's to blame_

_And I can't stand it_

_When I'm staring in her eyes_

_And she's not looking back_

_It ain't a big surprise_

Julia took the paper from Darren's hands and bit the end of her pen. She was silent for a few moments and Darren started to play with the strings of his guitar feeling out the melody for the song.

After about ten minutes she spoke. "Well the character Sami is supposed to be adored by Kevin right? And then Toby falls in love with her too?"

"Yeah..Your point?" Darren looked up and pushed a curl out of his eyes.

"What if you add something about him always thinking about her, like that he always hears her when he's falling asleep. Like oh! I've got it!" she took the pen and scribbled a few lines onto the paper. Darren smiled as he read them over her shoulder.

"I think I know exactly where to go from here."

About a half hour later Darren had the rough cut of 'Sami' finished and Julia's term paper was still in the process of being written. She realized she wrote a lot quicker with Darren's soothing voice in the background. He calmed her and helped her focus.

"Hey Jules." Darren said after dropping his pencil on her bed.

"What's up Dare?" she asked turning around and facing him.

"I think I got it…"

She smiled and crossed her legs. "Well let's hear it."

Darren started strumming and softly started to sing the first verse of Sami. He focused on his inspiration, his muse, his best friend. The girl he was falling in love with. His Sami.

October 12, 2012

"What do you mean he's single…" Julia's voice cracked.

"He's single. Which means you need to tell him. Like now."

"I can't tell him Lauren, you know I can't. I'm going to continue letting him believe what he wants. If he thinks Matthew's father is some random guy who's got a container of his sperm chilling in a sperm bank I'm okay with that. Matthew and I are perfectly fine."

"I didn't condone you lying then and I don't condone you lying now. Don't you think maybe Darren would want to know about his own son?"

"Lauren, Matthew was a mistake. A blessing, but still a mistake. You and the girls are the ONLY ones who know that Darren's actually the father. Thank god he hasn't started to look like him. And I pray that he grows up to look like an Albain, and not a Criss."

Lauren groaned and placed her hand on her abdomen. "I think you're being ridiculous. You know how much Matthew loves Darren. I'm pretty sure at four he knows that Darren is he father. Did you see the way he interacted with him at Meredith and Brian's wedding? I think for Matthews sake he deserves to have his father in his life, and he wont because his mother is too insecure to admit to herself that maybe Darren would have been okay with the fact that his best friend and ex-girlfriend was having his baby. "

"Lauren. You know I was going to tell him…but then—"

"But then he announced that he was going to marry Mia. And that broke your heart. But he's almost 35 years old Julia. He's single, and childless. And I'm pretty sure he planned on settling down. If you haven't noticed Jules, our friends don't really do things the way everyone else does. We're not ordinary by any means. I think you should tell him after the party Joey and I are throwing next week for the guys. We're going to announce the pregnancy, and you're going to tell Darren."

"But Lauren it's not that—"

"End of discussion."

_Later that Day _

Julia pulled into the driveway of her parent's house and sighed. She'd lied about Matthew's father's identity to the two people who raised her and it always haunted her. Five years ago when Julia found out she was pregnant her parents packed up everything they had in Cincinnati and moved to LA so they could help their daughter. They thought she was crazy for going at this alone, but after time they accepted that their daughter was living the way people could in the 21st century. She was a strong woman and didn't need a man in her life.

Matthew spent a lot of time at the Albain's house due to Julia's s usual hectic schedule, but the moments she got to spend with her son were her favorite, she just always wished she could share them with Matthew's father.

"Hi hon." Julia's mother said as her daughter walked through the door.

"Hey ma." Julia replied as she went over the playpen and picked up her beautiful bundle of joy. "And hello to you handsome." She said as she kissed her son's forehead.

"Hi mama." The little boy answered and buried his head deep into his mother's shoulder. Julia loved nothing else in this world more than she loved her son.

"How's the book coming along?" Julia's mother asked as she walked into the living room as she dried her hands on a dish towel.

"It's going alright. I haven't written in awhile. I've been super busy, and I kind of don't know where I want to go."

'It's an autobiography isn't it Jules? It shouldn't be that hard to write about your experiences."

"I know. I'm stuck on when Matthew was born. I don't know how I should present it. It's a lot to take in at once…" The real reason Julia was stuck on the chapter was because she didn't really want to lie in her own autobiography. She wanted to write about Matthew being an accident, and write the true story behind it all. But she knew she couldn't do that was 99% of the people involved in her life knew otherwise.

Julia's mother nodded. "I see. Well, that should be a very special chapter."

Julia smiled and pushed a curl out of Matthew's eye and sighed. The more she looked at her beautiful four year old boy the more she saw Darren, and it scared her. Because she didn't think she could keep up with this lie much longer.

Julia walked into the kitchen and sat down with Matthew on her lap. She cut up a banana and let her son snack on it while she spoke to her mother.

'How's Lauren?" Mrs. Albain asked as she sat across from her daughter and grandson.

"She's great. She's expecting a baby. And she asked me to be the godmother." Julia kissed the top of Matthew's head as he ate.

"Oh!" Mrs. Albain exclaimed. "I'll have to call her and congratulate her and Joey. Have they picked the godfather as well? I'd only assume it would be Mark. Lauren's so close to her brother."

Julia didn't know how to answer this. It surprised her as well that it wasn't Mark, I guess she let Joey pick, and his best man was Darren, so I guess it would only fit.

"It's actually not Mark…" Julia said as she gripped Matthew tighter subconsciously.

"Oh?"

"It's uh. —its actually Darren."

Mrs. Albain didn't say much at first. She knew Darren was almost a sore subject around Julia. She somewhat knew why but she felt like there was more, something Julia wasn't telling her.

"How is Darren doing?" She asked trying to make the conversation a little less awkward.

Julia didn't make eye contact with her mother. She looked at her son and thought about the man she loved, the man whose child she gave birth to and kept from him. And with her mother asking that simple question she knew what she had to do. She had to come clean, and her mother was the first one she was going to confess to.

**How is Julia's mom going to take the news? But more importantly how is Darren? Please review and let me know what you think! The next chapter is going to start off with another flashback, as most probably will and then go into present time. Please click the review button and share with your friends! Thanks a bunch! Xoxo until next time! **


	3. Chapter 3

**HAYY! So the next installment is up a lot sooner than I anticipated. I'm getting really into this story because I'm excited to share it with you. I am currently writing chapter 2 of I Was and I probably will be writing chapter 2 of Don't You. Expect chapter four up within the next day or so. But anyway here it is! **

May 17 2007

Julia was finishing packing her dorm room up for the summer. Her sophomore year went swimmingly and she was really happy about how the year turned out. She loved being in Ann Arbor but she was really looking forward to going home to Cincinnati to work on some writing over the summer.

Her small roommate left earlier, Lauren's drive from Ann Arbor to Royal Oak wasn't too bad and her finals were finished before Julia's. The room seemed so empty as Julia packed the last of her boxes. This was the end of dorm room life. In the fall she had an apartment lined up with Lauren and she was really looking forward to it. Many of their friends were going to live in their building as well and she knew it was going to be an amazing year.

Julia's parents were helping her pack the car when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Jules!" the voice called again.

Julia turned around to find Darren running towards her. His curls flapped in the wind and he pushed them out of his eyes when he got to her.

"Hey Dare. What's up?" Julia asked pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. Darren Criss was beautiful, and her heart always seemed to skip a beat when she saw him.

"I didn't want you to leave before I got the chance to say goodbye…"

"Dare, we said goodbye before…and you guys are coming to Cincinnati in a few weeks right? After you guys shoot _Little White Lie?"_

"Yeah." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Cool." She tried really hard to keep her composure but it was so hard with him standing so close. "So I'll see you in a few weeks." She smiled and turned around to pick up the last of her boxes.

"Wait…" he said lightly taking her arm in his hand and turning her around so she faced him again.

"What…" she said almost inaudible.

It took a few seconds for him to build up the courage. He had a thing for Julia for a while now, and it became evident when she helped him with the songs. Everything about her was perfect. When he gathered all the courage he could muster he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

The kiss between the two friends automatically became a cliché. Julia could feel the fireworks and butterflies swarm in her stomach. She kissed him back and gently wrapped her arms around her friend's neck.

A few moments later Darren pulled away but only far enough to leave a few inches between their lips. "I want to take you on a date." He whispered. "I want to kiss you goodnight." He placed another soft kiss to her lips, but this one was almost a peck. "And I want to walk you to class and sneak a few kisses in between them." He gave her another short kiss. "But more than anything I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine."

Julia's heart skipped a beat. This is what she was waiting for. This is what she wanted. She nodded, smiled and pressed her lips firmly to Darren's. Their kiss grew in passion were tongues and teeth met, and the heat of their bodies intensified with every smack of their lips.

Neither one cared about the scene they were making, they just new it was going to be the best summer ever now that they had each other.

October 12, 2021 _The Albain House _

Julia looked at her mother as she waited for a response. "Matt sweetie, go play with your toys mommy has to talk to grandma." Julia said getting up from her chair and placing Matthew on the floor. The toddler nodded as he ran over to his trucks in the other room.

"Mom," Julia started. 'I haven't been completely honest with you. Or with a lot of people for that matter."

"What's going on Julia?" her mother's body stiffened and expected the worst.

"I haven't been completely honest about who Matthew's father is…"

Julia's mother tilted her head before looking over at her grandson playing on the floor.

'His father doesn't have kids all over the country, I didn't get pregnant through insemination…I only came up with that story so I wouldn't have to tell the father…"

"It's Darren's. Isn't it?" Julia's mother looked at her daughter with her head still cocked to the side.

"H-How did you—"

"He looks like Darren, Julia. You can't kid yourself. Besides the fact that his hair is a bit lighter he's the spitting image of his father. The curly hair, the greenish hazel eyes. You're not going to hide this from Darren much longer. He's going to figure it out and truthfully you may lose him over it Julia. And I also think what you're doing to Matthew is selfish. His father is a great man; a man I know would do anything for that little boy. And you're being extremely selfish by keeping him away from his son."

"I'm sorry Mom, I—"

"No. I'm not the one you should apologize to. You and Darren made this little boy. It may have been a mistake but you need to wake up and realize what you're doing is wrong. You need to act like an adult Julia. And lying isn't the way to do it. As your mother I want you to tell him. You will tell him after this party for Lauren and Joey. Understood?"

Julia nodded. She hated when her mother and Lauren were right.

June 18, 2016

Julia zipped up her best friends wedding gown and smiled. "You look absolutely stunning Lo. Joey is a lucky guy."

Lauren turned to look at her best friend, former roommate and maid of honor. "You really think so Jules?"

"Of course. You're the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. Joey's is going to be speechless when he sees you." Julia walked over to the bed and lifted her best friends veil before placing it on her head.

Lauren looked stunning in her lace-wedding gown with a sweetheart neckline and trumpet skirt. Julia smiled and smoothed the material of her own purple strapless chiffon gown. Her best friend was getting married, and she was still miserably single.

Julia stood beside her best friend throughout the entire reception but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but sneak a few peaks at the man standing beside Joey. Darren had on a Dolce and Gabbana velvet trimmed tuxedo that hugged him in all the right places. The little velvet bowtie made her smile. He was channeling Blaine today. His departure from Glee meant his Blaine style was replaced with his Darren-esque attire, which usually consisted of jeans and UMich t-shirts. But today dapper Darren made an appearance, which usually entailed a little help from Blaine.

His curls were beginning to grow out again. They weren't long like they were in college but perfect ringlets were usually visible. Today Darren opted for a quaffed hairdo, which reminded her of a younger Darren. At 29 Darren was looking more like a man and less like a teenager. Julia looked up from her flowers to meet Darren's gaze, and she remembered why she had fallen in love with him so many years prior, and it had to do with the way his eyes sparkled when the lighting hit them at the right angle.

The ceremony was flawless from what Julia paid attention to. The reception hall was decorated beautifully with Laurens favorite color; sparkle. Mr and Mrs Joseph Michael Richter danced to Charlene and Darren's _Dress and Tie_ and the whole UMich Starkid gang was together for two of their best friends happiest day. Julia's heart stung a bit so instead of watching Darren bounce from table to table charming the whole hall she decided to go over to the bar for a drink. A drink, that's what she needed.

"You look beautiful." Darren said as he sauntered over to the bar after noticing Julia isolate herself.

"You don't look too bad yourself." Julia smiled.

"Darren looked down at himself and chuckled. "Oh this old thing? I just threw it together last minute."

This made Julia laugh. Everything Darren did was last minute, so she had a feeling he wasn't really lying about throwing his outfit together. However it never looked that way.

"How's Mia?" Julia asked. The question had been haunting her all day. She didn't understand why she wasn't at the wedding. She was friendly with all of Darren's friends, especially Joey. It was odd she wasn't walking around with Darren by her side.

Darren bit his lip. He knew the question would have been asked eventually. "We're actually not together. Things were getting crazy for the both of us so we parted ways. She's actually touring so; she couldn't make it to the wedding. But enough about my relationships, can the best man and maid of honor take a shot together?" he asked.

"Dare," Julia laughed. "This isn't college."

He shrugged. "I know. That's why we'll only take one." He handed her a small glass and clinked it with his own. "To many years of friendship, and to Mr. and Mrs. Richter."

Julia clinked her glass back and shot the liquid down her throat with Darren.

The guests were leaving and Julia could hardly see straight. She had been taking shots with Darren in the back of the reception hall for a few hours. After about four Darren's hands started to travel to Julia's waist and his lips met her neck a few times. Her body felt numb from all the alcohol but Darren's touch drove her wild. Between the alcohol and stolen kisses she would receive Julia had a bit of a flutter in the gutter.

As he was getting ready to leave he whispered against her neck. "Come back to my place."

Julia nodded and they took a car back to Darren's apartment.

It took him about four tries before he could open the door successfully. Once they were in Darren's lips met Julia's and he was slowly backing her towards his bedroom. His tux jacket was thrown over the couch in the living room, his bowtie ended up in a vase, and the shirt hung over the doorknob almost as a precaution to anyone who could possibly show up.

Darren unzipped Julia's dress and it fell to the ground next to his bed. This wasn't the first time the two of them ever had sex. They had done it multiple times when they were together but this time was different.

Once all of their clothing items were removed Darren slowly entered into his ex-girlfriend. Their bodies tangled together as they became one. As they hit their climax simultaneously they curled against each other unaware of what the future was going to hold, and what was soon going to grow inside of Julia Marie Albain.

**SO, I hope you guys like what I'm dishing out so far. I know it wasn't very smutty but it will get there eventually. The next chapter won't have Julia's confession to Darren. That won't happen for a few chapters and you'll see why. Please review! I love them; they're like crack to me. Until next time! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! This chapter is kind of a filler, it gives a little background to the relationship Darren and Julia had in the past. The two parts are about 9 years apart. Just make sure you pay attention to the dates. Okay, without any further ado, I give you chapter 4: **

**November 18, 2007 **

Julia was sitting on the edge of her bed staring at her calendar. Her period two weeks late. Her heart started to speed up and her breathing became short. She didn't understand how this could possibly happen. She was on the pill, and she was certain Darren always used a condom. She didn't want to buy a test; she believed it would only make matters worse, proving something she already thought to be true.

She did the first thing she could think of and woke Lauren from her nap. "Lo!" Julia whispered as she shook her small blonde roommate.

Lauren fidgeted and pulled the blanket over her head. "Go away Jules! Let me sleep."

"Lauren Elizabeth Lopez! Wake up! It's important!"

Lauren pushed the blankets off and glared at Julia. "What is so important that couldn't wait until I woke up?"

Julia bit her lip. "I'm late."

"Late for what Julia? A date, class, what?" Lauren was groggy as she sat up on her elbows.

"My period…" Julia looked down at her feet as Lauren shot out of her bed.

"You're not…"

Julia shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know if I should tell him and then take the test or if I should just take it…"

"He's your boyfriend Jules. He should probably know like now. Call him. Have him come over, sit him down and explain. Buy the test together. He'll understand."

Julia nodded. "I guess you're right."

She walked out of the room and sat down on the couch in the living room as she dialed her boyfriends phone number.

"H-hello?" Darren answered still clearly half asleep.

"Hey Dare."

"What's up babe?"

"Do you think you can come upstairs? I want to talk to you about something…" Julia could hear the shiver in her voice.

"Jules…is everything okay?" Darren shot up out of his bed and looked around his room for his shoes.

"It will be Dare…just please come upstairs…"

"I'm on my way up. Give me two seconds."

"Okay…I love you…"

"I love you too." Darren hung up the phone threw his shoes on and ran up the three flights of stairs to Julia and Lauren's apartment.

A few minutes later Julia heard a knock on the front door. She gained all the composure she could as she walked to the door and opened it.

"What's going on…" Darren asked with his head cocked staring at his girlfriend.

"Can you please sit down Dare…" Darren took a step towards his girlfriend and she quickly backed away

"What's going on Julia?! You're scaring me." He was running his hands through his mop of curls as he watched his girlfriend pull on her shirt.

"I need you to sit…"

"Julia! Just please tell me what's going on!"

"D-Darren…I'm so sorry…" Julia covered her face as the tears fell from her eyes.

"A-are you breaking up with me…what did I do…why are you doing this…" Darren was unsure how to react; he didn't want to push her away when he thought he had already done so.

She shook her head as her body shook with each tear. He wrapped his arms around her as she fell to the floor he held her close waiting for her to say something, anything.

"I'm two weeks late." She finally mumbled into her boyfriends shoulder.

"Y-you mean…you might be…" Darren's heart stopped. He wasn't even old enough to legally drink. He couldn't be a father, not now.

She shook her head, as her breathing grew deep. She struggled with each breath unable to talk.

"Have you taken a test?"

She shook her head.

"We'll get one. And we'll get through this together. I know we will…we have to…"

xxx

Julia took the box to the bathroom and left Darren in the living room. Her heart was beating so loud she could hear it in her ears. She couldn't be pregnant, she wasn't ready and her 21st birthday was only a few weeks away. She couldn't have a kid when she still had so much life left to live.

She walked out of the bathroom and sat next to Darren. "We have to wait three minutes." She whispered looking down at her hands.

Darren took her shaking hands in his and kissed her knuckles gently. "Whatever this pee stick says, I'll be here for you 100% because I love you, Julia Marie Albain. And I'll never stop."

A tear fell down her cheek as she nodded. "And I'll never stop loving you, Darren Everett Criss. And that's a promise."

Three minutes had passed and Julia looked down at the window, a small pink minus sign was staring at her. She released a sigh of relief. "It's negative." She said looking at her boyfriend.

He smiled and nodded. As happy as he was to see that his girlfriend wasn't pregnant there was a part of him that wished she was, because more than anything he wanted Julia to be the mother of his children.

**August 18****th**** 2016 **

Julia looked at the window and couldn't believe what was staring back at her. The negative sign she saw nine years ago was replaced with a little pink plus sign which meant only one thing: she was actually going to have Darren's baby.

This time around she figured she shouldn't warn him of the possibility, since last time it was just a fluke. She hoped every time she was late after having sex with Darren would just a fluke, but this time it wasn't.

Julia fumbled with the buttons on her phone as she quickly called her best friend. "Lo!" she yelled as she heard her friend answer.

"What is it Jules? Joey and I were just in the middle of something important."

'Tell Joey to keep his pants on for ten minutes. I need you. Right now."

"Julia, this is a really bad time. Can't I just come over tomorrow?"

Julia knew there was only one way she would get Lauren over now. So she gathered all the courage she could and blurted it out. "I'm pregnant."

There was no answer for a long minute before she heard her dainty friend push her husband over and fly up. "I'm on my way."

About 15 minutes later Julia heard a bang on her door. "Julia Marie Albain open this door up now!"

Julia quickly opened the door and looked down at her little friend.

"Holy shit…" Lauren said looking at the pee stick. "Have you told him?"

"I didn't think I had to…you know last time it was a fluke. Last time I was late, I didn't think I would actually be pregnant…"

"You have to go tell him Julia. Like right now. I don't understand why you called me first."

"I always tell you first. You're my best friend. I needed to talk to someone about this before I made up my mind on what to do. I love him Lauren…God I love him so much. I want this baby. I want us to raise this baby. I know it's bad timing, and we're not really doing it "correctly" but I'm ready and I hope Darren is too…"

"Julia, you need to go to Darren's apartment right now." Lauren gave her best friend a stern look.

"I know. But I don't know what to say…" Julia played with her fingers and sighed.

"Tell him exactly what you told me. He's a fool if he doesn't realize how much you love him."

Lauren was always right. Julia hated that. But she took her best friends advice and drove herself to Darren's apartment. When she got in the car she was afraid, but once she got there she realized she wanted more than anything to have this baby with Darren. Her fear quickly changed to excitement.

She ran up to his door and started to bang on it quickly. "Dare!" she called with a smile on her face. "Darren! I have big news to tell you!" She was about to knock again when the door swung open and the person in front of her wasn't Darren, it was Mia.

**I know this was a full flashback chapter and I'm curious to know how you feel about these flashbacks. I have them because I feel like they give the back-story to Julia and Darren's relationship. The next chapter I think is going to be when Julia tells Darren. But it might be chapter 6. I want to get their break-up in here somewhere but I have to figure out where. I might start Chapter 5 with that and then go into the party at Joey and Lauren's place. Bare with me, I have a lot I want to say but I'm bad at organization. Please continue to review! They make my day! Thanks and until next time! **


	5. Chapter 5

**I did a little extra research and from what I've read Darren and Julia dated briefly between 08-09. For the purpose of this story its going to be 07-08 just because it's hard to find exact dates for them anyway. And if I have them dating earlier their cute friendship has more time to blossom. Ya get me? Anyway here's chapter 5, starting with their breakup. **

**October 7, 2008 **

Julia had her rolled up script in her hand as she was pacing the isles of the Walgreen's Drama Center. Opening night of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot was in two days and this whole production was a mess. She didn't know what she got herself into when she decided to direct this.

"Joey!" she yelled. "I told you three days ago I want you to exit stage left not right. You nearly knocked Lauren over!"

"Julia I'm sorry…I forgot." At 19 Joey had only been at UMich a year and he still wasn't use to the stress everyone usually caused Julia, and how Julia reacted to it. '"I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Good. Where's Darren!?" Julia looked down at her watch.

"He's not here yet…" Devin replied looking down at her feet.

"He's two hours late! Does anyone understand that opening night is on Thursday? Does anyone care about that?!" Julia threw the script on the ground and ran up the stairs onto the stage.

Moments later Darren sauntered onto the stage like he was right on time. "Hey babe." Darren said walking up to Julia to give his girlfriend a kiss.

"No." she put her finger up against his lips. "Do NOT 'hey babe' me Darren. You are two HOURS late. Do you even understand the concept of time?! I can't run through my show when my Judas is not here!"

"I'm sorry. I had a thing." Darren replied coolly.

"Yeah Darren. You did have a thing. Your thing was to be here. Two hours ago! I am stressed enough as it is and you being 120 minutes late is not making this easier for me!"

"Jules, it wont happen again." He reached out to place his hand on his girlfriends shoulder but she pulled away.

"Darren! This is the third time this week you're late, twelfth time this month. You'd think if you loved me like you say you do you'd be on time for this. This is really important to me Darren. I don't know why you can't understand that."

"Julia, can we not do this now…" Darren looked around the theater and all of their friends just stood around motionless, afraid to hear what Julia could possibly say next.

"When do you want to do this Darren? When it's convenient for you? The world doesn't revolve around you Darren." Tears started to form in Julia's eyes. She couldn't do this anymore. She couldn't deal with him being late, forgetting his lines, and then kissing her like he did nothing wrong. Dating Darren Criss was physically and emotionally exhausting. She finally threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "I'm done. We're over."

And with that Julia turned her heel and walked out of the auditorium without looking back. She didn't notice it then, but she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.

**Okay, so I know this chapter is really short, it's because I felt like it was a good place to stop, and their breakup kind of deserved it's own little chapter. But fear not. This is not the last you'll see of their breakup. The next four-five chapters are going to be the sameish events you have just seen in the first five chapters but they're going to be from Darren's point of view. Starting with Joey telling him about Julia. These chapters are probably going to be short, so they'll all be up pretty fast. And then FINALLY, after Darren's POV you will get the moment I know you're all waiting for. JULIA IS GOING TO TELL DARREN. I'm really excited for that chapter. Anyway, if you're lucky more chapters will be up today. If not, until next time. **


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm really happy about all the positive feedback! I'm so glad you guys like it! And I'm pretty proud of this story, and I'm super proud of the breakup chapter. Thank you so much for reading! I wont keep you, here is the first chapter from Darren's POV: **

October 12, 2021

Darren was sitting on his couch with his feet on the coffee table strumming on his guitar when the phone rang. "Hey Joey." Darren said as he put the guitar down.

"Hey bud. I'm in the neighborhood and I was wondering if it's cool if I stop by for a few?" Joey said as he turned into the parking lot Darren's apartment complex.

"Uh, yeah sure. That's fine. Just buzz when you're here. I'll let you up." Darren replied as he pulled on one of his very faded Basement Art's t-shirts.

"Okay. See you in a few." Joey replied before he hung up.

Darren collected the sheet music and guitar before shoving them away where no one could find them. Darren was currently finishing a piece he had started in college but eventually put away. It was for his Muse, the only girl he ever seemed to truly love, and receive love in return.

Moments later Darren heard a buzz. "Shit. Joey wasn't kidding." He mumbled as he buzzed his best friend up.

Joey came up with a six-pack and Darren looked confused. "What's with the six-pack? It's only noon… I haven't day drank since college…"

"We're celebrating." Joey replied placing the bottles down and handing one to Darren.

"And what are we celebrating?" He asked popping open the cap of his bottle.

"I'm going to be a father." Joey responded, his lopsided smile growing bigger with every second.

"Shit Joey! That's amazing. I'm so happy for you and Lo. That's going to be one hot baby." Darren smiled and took a sip of his beer.

"I actually want to ask you something." Joey said as he took a sip from his own bottle.

"Shoot." Darren replied sitting down on the couch; feet back up on the table.

"Lo and I want you to be the baby's godfather."

"Joey, I'd love to be the baby's godfather." Darren smiled before taking another swig of his beer.

"Cool. Julia's going to be the godmother." Joey didn't think we was going to slip it in so casually, but he knew if he caught Darren off guard he'd probably get a better reaction out of him. He hadn't seen Julia since Meredith and Brian's wedding, so he figured the whole letting him down easily thing wasn't really going to work.

"O-oh…" Darren replied before chugging the rest of his beer and opening another. "T-that's uh…that's cool…"

"You're okay with it?" Joey asked cocking his head. He knew Darren had an issue with it. Not that it was a problem, or that he hated Julia. That wasn't the case at all. Julia was just a sore subject around Darren.

"I'm not going to dictate who you choose as godparents Joey. Julia is Lo's best friend. It only makes sense." He took a gulp of his beer and he got a sour feeling in the pit of his stomach. No, that wasn't a sour feeling, it was butterflies. After all these years even the thought of Julia's presence gave him butterflies.

"How's uh, how's Jules doing anyway? God, Matthews gotta be like four now. Shit." Darren took another swig of his beer.

"I think she's doing well. Lauren was meeting her today to talk about the baby. He's getting so big Darren. I can't wait until I have my own. Practicing with Matt is going to be exciting. That kid's so smart."

"His mother's smart. And beautiful. I bet Matthew looks like his mom." Darren sighed before taking a larger gulp of his beer.

'You need to tell her dude. It's been 12 years since you broke up. You've been keeping your love bottled up for 12 fucking years. You need to tell her how you feel."

"How the hell am I suppose to do that Joey? The last time I saw her was three years ago. Three fucking years ago! You'd think I'd see her more often. And the reason I don't is because whenever I see her I just want to pull her into my arms and kiss her. I love her. And I can't live without her. It was always her Joey. I always wanted **her**."

May 9 2007

Darren stared at the song in his hands. It was perfect, the lyrics were perfect it conveyed every emotion he could have ever wanted to convey, there was just one problem. Every place it should have said "Sami" it said "Julie."

"Shit." He mumbled under his breath jamming the paper into the drawer in his desk. He couldn't show Julia that song, it was everything he ever felt about her portrayed in a song. Darren sighed and softly sang one of the lines from his new song. "Why can't you see what you're doing to me?"

After a few moments of staring into space Darren got an idea. He needed to see her, he needed to feel her closeness and smell her fruity shampoo. He wrote down the first few verses of "Julie" on a piece of paper, grabbed his guitar and walked over to Julia's building.

Once he got there he banged on the door. He heard her get off her chair mumbling under he breath about how Lauren should stop forgetting her key. When she opened the door he froze. She was beautiful. Even with all the stress of finals she was beautiful.

"I'm sorry I'm not Lauren." Darren said staring into Julia's eyes. _What a beautiful shade of green/blue. _He thought. _They're like the ocean. _He snapped out of his daze when she spoke.

"You know," Julia started. "My roommate should be home soon, I don't think she's going to be happy that someone isn't in his room writing music for a web series he's going to be in." Julia smirked.

Darren laughed. "That's actually why I'm here. I'm stuck! I need a little inspiration. And we both know how great you are with words. So…Can you help a brother out?" _I'm not stuck. I wrote the whole fucking song, and it's about you. I just wanted to be close to you. God your beautiful. Pull it together Darren. I think she's talking to you. _

"Darren I have a final tomorrow. I can't help you right now." Julia fixed her glasses and crossed her arms. _God she's even beautiful with her arms crossed. _

"Please Jules! Give me like ten minutes! I'll be super quiet. Maybe I just need like a new space to write. The walls of my room haven't spoken to me today." _Wow. I'm just full of bullshit remarks today. New place to write my ass. I could write anywhere. As long as I think about you. Wow Darren. You sound like a fucking stalker. _

"You're insane. Sit. And be quiet." Julia went back to her desk and Darren followed as he sat at Lauren's.

He began to tap his pencil on the desk and Julia quickly turned herself around. "How far are you?" she asked rolling her eyes and scooting herself closer to Darren

He flashed her the 'I knew you'd break' smile as he replied "I've got a few verses for each song, but I can't seem to finish these two." He pushes over two untitled pieces of work. "this one," he said pointing to one on top. "Is for Sami, I figured it'd make sense if I called it Sami cause like it's about Sami…" he laughed and she shook her head. _It's actually called "Julie". But I'd never tell you that. _

"Okay." She said fixing her glasses and reading the few lines he had for "Sami"

_I've seen her face_

_I've heard her name_

_I've lost my place and she's to blame_

_And I can't stand it_

_When I'm staring in her eyes_

_And she's not looking back_

_It ain't a big surprise_

Julia took the paper from Darren's hands and bit the end of her pen. She was silent for a few moments and Darren started to play with the strings of his guitar feeling out the melody for the song.

After about ten minutes she spoke. "Well the character Sami is supposed to be adored by Kevin right? And then Toby falls in love with her too?"

"Yeah..Your point?" _God. I feel like Toby and Kevin right now. _ Darren looked up and pushed a curl out of his eyes.

"What if you add something about him always thinking about her, like that he always hears her when he's falling asleep. Like oh! I've got it!" she took the pen and scribbled a few lines onto the paper. Darren smiled as he read them over her shoulder. _That's actually brilliant. Why didn't I think about that before? _

"I think I know exactly where to go from here." Darren tried to remember everything he wrote for "Julie" in his room, except for the second verse. He really liked the idea Julia had and it was perfect. After about 30 minutes he turned to her. "Hey Jules." Darren said after dropping his pencil on her bed.

"What's up Dare?" she asked turning around and facing him.

"I think I got it…"

She smiled and crossed her legs. "Well let's hear it."

Darren started to play Sami and tried so hard to keep all the Sami's to Sami. As he played the song a new idea popped into his head. _You're a diamond I'm afraid to touch, you're damn near flawless…_ He needed to get to his dorm quickly to begin writing "The Muse", another song about the girl he was head over heels in love with.

**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Writing the events twice means there will be some overlapping but I hope you still enjoy it. Obviously the italics are Darren's personal thoughts. I've started writing the chapter where Julia tells Darren. I'm so excited for that one. I also want to know about what you guys think of Jaime being Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway. It'll play into the story I just want to know if you think it makes sense. Please keep reviewing! They make my day! Until next time! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! I just want to start off by saying I am a college student, and I have recently gotten back to school which means my updates are going to be less frequent. I'm sorry, and I really wish I could write all the time but it's going to be a little harder. I'm taking 18 credits this semester so I'm going to be super busy. I hope you all understand. I will however update whenever I can because I really enjoy writing this story, and I really want to share it with you. I've also started writing THE chapter, so I'm super excited. Anyway this chapter is still in Darren's point of view. Expect the Julia/Darren chapter to be in about 2 updates. Without further ado I give you chapter 7. Also the organization of Darren chapters wont go in the same order as Julia's. Just a heads up. **

**May 17, 2007**

Darren was sitting on the plastic mattress staring at the sheet music in hand. J_ulie, why cant you see, what you're doing to me. _He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was in love. He knew the feeling slightly, but it was more overpowering than any love he had felt in his 20 years of life. He was without a doubt in love with Julia Albain, which scared him to say the least. He wanted her to know how he felt but he feared it would scare her away. In the fall they were going to be living in the same apartment, he wanted so badly to stay in each other's rooms tangled in a mess of limbs and sleep. Make love, kiss, and sleep together. She was perfect and wonderful, and all he needed to do was collect the courage to tell her.

Darren walked through the parking lot to find Julia's parents helping her pack the car. Thankfully she hadn't left yet.

"Jules!" he called, trying to get his friend to turn around. "Jules!"

Julia turned around to find Darren running towards her. His curls flapped in the wind and he pushed them out of his eyes when he got to her.

"Hey Dare. What's up?" she asked pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. She was stunning. Her blue eyes captivated him, he wanted nothing more but to stare into the two pools of blue.

"I didn't want you to leave before I got the chance to say goodbye…" Darren finally said. He had already said goodbye at breakfast that morning, but it wasn't intimate enough. He couldn't proclaim his love to Julia in front of the guys. Now he didn't know if he could do it in front of the Albain's.

"Dare, we said goodbye before…and you guys are coming to Cincinnati in a few weeks right? After you guys shoot _Little White Lie?" _He couldn't wait until the filming was over. All he wanted was to take the drive from Ann Arbor to Cincinnati and curl up in to the arms of his best friend. He wanted to kiss her and sing to her, and prove to her that he was here for the keeping.

"Yeah." He ran his fingers through his hair. The curls were getting long, he knew running his hand through them made them frizzy but he was too nervous to care.

"Cool." _Cool? That's all I get? Cool. Maybe this is a bad idea. _He thought his mind quickly racing "So I'll see you in a few weeks." She smiled and turned around to pick up the last of her boxes.

"Wait…" Darren said lightly taking her arm in his hand and turning her around so she faced him again. _This is your chance kiss her. _

"What…" she said almost inaudible.

It took a few seconds for him to build up the courage. When he gathered all the courage he could muster he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

Right as his lips touched hers he felt the fireworks. Fireworks he had never felt before, fireworks he was convinced didn't exist. She kissed him back and gently wrapped her arms around her friend's neck.

A few moments later Darren pulled away but only far enough to leave a few inches between their lips. "I want to take you on a date." He whispered. "I want to kiss you goodnight." He placed another soft kiss to her lips, but this one was almost a peck. "And I want to walk you to class and sneak a few kisses in between them." He gave her another short kiss. "But more than anything I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine."

Darren's heart pounded as he waited for her reply. The longer it took her to answer the harder and faster his heart pounded. She finally nodded, smiled and pressed her lips firmly to Darren's. Their kiss grew in passion were tongues and teeth met, and the heat of their bodies intensified with every smack of their lips.

Neither one cared about the scene they were making, they just new it was going to be the best summer ever now that they had each other.

**October 12 2021 **

Darren hid his face in his hands as he thought about everything that has happened in the past 14 years. She was everything he ever wanted, everything he ever cared for. He finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. "Um is she dating, has she you know—"

Joey shook his head and finished off his beer. "From what Lauren has told me it's just her and Matthew. And I don't think she's dated in awhile. I don't know why. She's fun to be around. Maybe she just hasn't found the right guy yet."

Darren sighed. He hated the thought that Julia's true love could quite possibly someone other than him. He knew he screwed up by letting her slip through his fingers but a part of him always believed it was what she wanted, that Darren didn't mean all that much to her. "Hey Joey…" Darren started looking up at his best friend.

"Yeah D? What's up?"

"Can I talk to you about something, you can't, you can't tell anyone because I never told anyone this…"

"Dude, I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything." Joey sat up and placed his feet on the table beside Darren's.

"Well, first and foremost, I probably should have told you this when it happened but, I had sex with Julia the night of your wedding…"

**June 18, 2016 **

Darren helped his best friend with his bowtie. After years on Glee Darren was a master of tying a bowtie. "You nervous?" he asked Joey as he straightened out the tie.

"Well I wasn't, but now that you brought it up, I'm going to shit in my pants." Joey replied as he gripped the chair. "What if our marriage doesn't work? What if we're only meant to be best friends?"

"Joey, I know you and Lauren are meant for each other. If I could be in half the relationship you have with Lo, I could die happy. You two are perfect for each other. I knew that the moment you called me to tell me you two were dating. And that was four years ago."

"I think you should talk to Julia." Joey said looking over his shoulder to his best friend. "I think you should tell her you and Mia are over, and that you love her. You bought that ring when you were a senior. She needs to know the truth. And I think you should tell her tonight.

Darren nodded. "I think you're right."

Darren stood beside Joey trying hard to pay attention to the ceremony but he couldn't. Julia looked stunning in her bridesmaid's dress. He didn't really know what kind of material it was, or the designer but either way she looked flawless. Julia's hair was pulled back and her eyes, her eyes looked breathtaking. Darren fixated on her eyes. He smiled. They were gorgeous, and he always thought so. They were his favorite, besides her smile. God. Did Julia have a smile. His best friend was beautiful. And he needed to tell her the truth.

The ceremony was flawless from what Julia paid attention to. The reception hall was decorated beautifully with Laurens favorite color; sparkle. Mr and Mrs Joseph Michael Richter danced to Charlene and Darren's _Dress and Tie_ and the whole UMich Starkid gang was together for two of their best friends happiest day. Darren sort of rushed through the song so he could see Julia. He ran off the stage but people kept stopping him, he didn't want to be rude but all he wanted was to talk to Julia. He looked around the room and found her standing by the open bar.

"You look beautiful." Darren said as he sauntered over to her

"You don't look too bad yourself." Julia smiled.

"Darren looked down at himself and chuckled. "Oh this old thing? I just threw it together last minute." _I actually tried on every goddamn tuxedo hoping to find the one you'd like the best. _Julia laughed. Hopefully she believed it.

"How's Mia?" Julia asked. Darren knew she was going to ask this question. He hadn't really vocalized their split yet. But he knew he had to.

Darren bit his lip. "We're actually not together. Things were getting crazy for the both of us so we parted ways. She's actually touring so; she couldn't make it to the wedding. But enough about my relationships, can the best man and maid of honor take a shot together?" he asked. He needed alcohol in order to tell her. He needed alcohol pronto.

"Dare," Julia laughed. "This isn't college."

He shrugged. "I know. That's why we'll only take one." He handed her a small glass and clinked it with his own. "To many years of friendship, and to Mr. and Mrs. Richter."

Julia clinked her glass back and shot the liquid down her throat with Darren simultaneously.

The guests were leaving and Darren could hardly see straight. He had been taking shots with Julia in the back of the reception hall for a few hours. After about four Darren's hands started to travel to Julia's waist and his lips met her neck a few times. He needed her, he was convinced he wasn't drunk off of the liquor but off of Julia. He needed to kiss her and to touch her. He needed to be in her. As he was getting ready to leave he whispered against her neck. "Come back to my place."

Julia nodded and they took a car back to Darren's apartment.

It took him about four tries before he could open the door successfully. Once they were in Darren's lips met Julia's and he was slowly backing her towards his bedroom. His tux jacket was thrown over the couch in the living room, his bowtie ended up in a vase, and the shirt hung over the doorknob almost as a precaution to anyone who could possibly show up.

Darren unzipped Julia's dress and it fell to the ground next to his bed. Darren took a minute to admire her beauty. Everything about her was stunning and there she was in front of him half naked and ready to move forward with him.

Once all of their clothing items were removed Darren slowly entered into his ex-girlfriend. Their bodies tangled together as they became one. With each thrust he felt himself becoming whole again. He knew she was the only girl he could ever have sex with. The only girl he could make love with. As they hit their climax simultaneously they curled against each other unaware of what the future was going to hold, and what Darren was going to find out with no help from his baby mama.

**October 12, 2012**

Joey shot up and his feet hit the ground with a thud. "You what?! And why didn't you tell me this the next day? Darren, you don't keep this kind of information from your BEST FRIEND."

Darren bit his lip. "I know. I should have told you but here's the thing, after it happened I was going to ask her out, and tell her everything. But she left before I could do that. And then Mia showed up. And everything became royally screwed up."

**August 18, 2016 **

Darren stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. "Today is the day. You're going to go over there and tell her you love her. Tell her everything you've been hiding since senior year. You got this. You can do this. It's been exactly a month since you two had sex. It's about time you tell her."

Darren heard the doorbell right as he was about to get in the shower. He put a towel on and wrapped it around his waist. As he opened the door he immediately regretted it.

"Hey sexy." Mia said as she walked into Darren's apartment. "I missed you." She pressed her lips to Darren's and he quickly pushed her away.

"Mia, I need you to leave. Come back another time. But I'm busy right now and I don't need you here.

"Oh hush Mr. Grumpy Gills. Take your shower. Relax. I'll just wait for you here." She bit her lip. "Or maybe I'll meet you in the shower."

Darren rolled his eyes as he walked towards the bathroom. "I'm serious. You need to be gone by the time I get out of here."

Mia ignored Darren's request and started to look around the apartment. What caught her eye was a small worn velvet box that sat on the counter of the kitchen. It looked like it had been open and closed for years. She opened the box and sitting inside was a very small circle cut diamond engagement ring.

Mia smirked and whispered. "He's going to ask me to marry him." She slipped the ring on her finger and stared at it. She was hoping it would have been bigger but she figured he'd had it for awhile, and she'd just have him buy a bigger rock once they were married.

A few minutes later she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and staring back at her was Darren's ex Julia ready to tell Darren she was pregnant.

"Where's Darren..." Julia asked as her voice cracked.

'Shower. I'm actually about to join him so this is really bad timing." Mia smirked and shrugged. "Sorry sweets."

Julia cleared her throat. "C-can you tell him I stopped buy it's important that I—" before Julia could finish the door was slammed in her face and she was staring at the door of her baby's father's apartment.

"Who was that?" Darren asked as he walked out of the shower. "And why are you still here?"

"Oh it was some guy trying to sell house wear. " she smiled and stuck her hand out. "Baby why were you hiding this from me?"

"Mia…where did you find that?" Darren's voice was deep and demanding.

"You can't leave diamonds on the kitchen table Darren. But even though this isn't the way I imagined it, yes."

"Yes what?"

"Yes." Mia said. "I'll marry you."

**October 7, 2008 **

Darren knew he was late, and he knew it wasn't the first time but this was the fifth jewelry store he had gone to and he knew this one was it. This was the ring he was going to buy Julia.

The jeweler pulled out the case and Darren pointed to the small round cut diamond ring. It wasn't much, he couldn't afford much but it was a beautiful ring.

The jeweler handed Darren the ring as he spoke. "The band is 14 carat white gold. The diamond in the center is half a carat, and the diamonds around make up a fourth of a carat. I'll give it to you for $1450 if you like it."

Darren really didn't want to go more than a thousand but he knew that was nearly impossible. It was beautiful, the prettiest ring he had ever seen. He knew once he saw it he'd know, and he knew this was the ring he needed to ask Julia to marry him.

Darren was late. So incredibly late. But he needed to play it off. So Darren sauntered onto the stage like he was right on time. "Hey babe." Darren said walking up to Julia to give his girlfriend a kiss. His heart was racing and the ring in his pocket felt like a thousand pounds.

"No." she put her finger up against his lips. "Do NOT 'hey babe' me Darren. You are two HOURS late. Do you even understand the concept of time?! I can't run through my show when my Judas is not here!" He felt like shit, but he knew she'd understand once she saw the ring.

"I'm sorry. I had a thing." Darren replied coolly. _My thing was buying an engagement ring for you. And working overtime just to afford it. _

"Yeah Darren. You did have a thing. Your thing was to be here. Two hours ago! I am stressed enough as it is and you being 120 minutes late is not making this easier for me!"

"Jules, it wont happen again." He reached out to place his hand on his girlfriends shoulder but she pulled away. She couldn't do this. Not after he just spend 1500 dollars on a ring.

"Darren! This is the third time this week you're late, twelfth time this month. You'd think if you loved me like you say you do you'd be on time for this. This is really important to me Darren. I don't know why you can't understand that." _I do love you. And that's why I'm late. _

"Julia, can we not do this now…" Darren looked around the theater and all of their friends just stood around motionless, afraid to hear what Julia could possibly say next. He just wanted to get her alone, to show her the ring and tell her everything was going to be perfect. That they could be engaged for awhile, move to New York together and eventually get married.

"When do you want to do this Darren? When it's convenient for you? The world doesn't revolve around you Darren." Darren watched as Julia started crying. He then got a bad feeling in his stomach, and the feeling was intensified when he heard her say the words he couldn't hear. "I'm done. We're over."

And with that Julia turned her heel and walked out of the auditorium without looking back. Darren watched her leave as the ring felt like an anchor in his back pocket.

**I know this one is super long and all over the place but I figured since I was going to be updating less you deserved a longer chapter. Please tell me what you think! Reviews make me feel good! Haha until next time! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Well hello! I'm updating a little sooner than anticipated! I should be doing homework for this week but nothing is due tomorrow so I'm procrastinating and writing for you guys instead! Such a good student. Anyway, thank you so much for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. This is going to be the LAST chapter before Julia tells Darren, so this is the last stretch to the finish line. I've been thinking about how I want Julia to tell him for awhile, and I'm so excited to share it with you. Without any further ado, here is the last chapter from Darren's POV. **

**October 21, 2021 **

Joey rubbed the back of his neck and gave Darren a puzzled look. He saw how broken his friend looked as he recalled the events of his relationship with Julia. After a few moments of silence Darren finally spoke again. "Did I ever tell you about the time we thought Julia was pregnant?"

**November 18, 2007**

Darren was curled up in his twin sized bed dreaming about the time he spent with his girlfriend. She was beautiful, funny, and AMAZING in bed. The two of them "fucked like rabbits" as Dylan Saunders put it. Whenever he would say that Darren would smirk, but never deny it because it was true. Darren was a very horny teenager.

He never forced sex upon her, he was never that kind of guy. When she said no, he would oblige never pushing her to go any further than she wanted to. After awhile though he realized that condoms were fucking expensive, and his few gigs couldn't really pay for all the condoms he was going though. He could have always gone to the health center but he thought they'd judge him if he kept pocketing handfuls of the colored squares. Eventually, Darren stopped using condoms when he had sex with Julia, he figured the "pull out" method was good enough and he was 99.9% sure she was on the pill. I mean aren't all sexually active girls on the pill? He had been keeping this up for months without Julia knowing, she always assumed he used a condom and it was going swimmingly for him until _that _day.

Darren woke up to his phone ringing. "H-hello?" he answered still asleep.

"Hey Dare." It was Julia on the other line.

"What's up babe?" Darren asked as he slowly got up and rested his body weight on his elbow.

"Do you think you can come upstairs? I want to talk to you about something…" As tired as Darren was he could tell there was something wrong by the tone of Julia's voice.

"Jules…is everything okay?" Darren got up out of his bed and looked around his room for his shoes and a t-shirt.

"It will be Dare…just please come upstairs…" she sounded like she was going to cry, Darren hated it when Julia cried.

"I'm on my way up. Give me two seconds." He replied as he finished tying his shoes.

"Okay…I love you…"

"I love you too." Darren hung up the phone and ran up the three flights of stairs to Julia and Lauren's apartment.

Darren started to bang on the door when he got there. Julia couldn't open it up fast enough.

"What's going on…" Darren asked with his head cocked staring at his girlfriend as she opened the door.

"Can you please sit down Dare…" Darren took a step towards his girlfriend and she quickly backed away. Backing away was unlike her.

"What's going on Julia?! You're scaring me." He was running his hands through his mop of curls as he watched his girlfriend pull on her shirt. He felt like he was going to break down into tears, and Darren never cried.

"I need you to sit…" She said avoiding eye contact with a now pacing Darren.

"Julia! Just please tell me what's going on!"

"D-Darren…I'm so sorry…" Julia covered her face as the tears fell from her eyes.

"A-are you breaking up with me…what did I do…why are you doing this…" Darren didn't know what he would do if Julia left her, the more time he spent with her the more he knew she was the one, the one he would marry and one day have a family with.

She shook her head as her body shook with each tear. He wrapped his arms around her as she fell to the floor he held her close waiting for her to say something, anything. He didn't know what else to do, all he knew was that he needed her in his arms, and she needed to be in them.

"I'm two weeks late." She finally mumbled into her boyfriends shoulder.

Darren had to think for a moment. "Y-you mean…you might be…" Darren's heart stopped. The "pull out" method clearly wasn't as fool proof as he thought. His cheap self got his 20 year old girlfriend pregnant.

She shook her head, as her breathing grew deep. She struggled with each breath unable to talk.

"Have you taken a test?" He wasn't sure what so say, this seemed the most logical.

She shook her head.

"We'll get one. And we'll get through this together. I know we will…we have to…" Darren held his girlfriend close in fear of what the little white stick would say.

xxx

Julia took the box to the bathroom and left Darren in the living room. He sat there in silence awaiting their fate. He didn't want to make a big deal about the situation at hand, he knew he couldn't, so he decided to sit there and wait for her to come back. She walked out of the bathroom and sat next to Darren. "We have to wait three minutes." She whispered looking down at her hands. He wanted nothing more but to hold her hands. He noticed they were shaking.

Darren took her shaking hands in his and kissed her knuckles gently. "Whatever this pee stick says, I'll be here for you 100% because I love you, Julia Marie Albain. And I'll never stop." He knew it now, that she was actually the one.

A tear fell down her cheek as she nodded. "And I'll never stop loving you, Darren Everett Criss. And that's a promise."

Three minutes had passed and Julia looked down at the window, a small pink minus sign was staring at her. She released a sigh of relief. "It's negative." She said looking at her boyfriend.

Darren smiled and nodded. He just hoped that one day he would actually father her children.

**October 21, 2021**

Joey looked at Darren a little confused. "Why are you telling me this now? I mean the stick said she wasn't pregnant. It's not like you're fathering her children. I don't understand why this story is relevant. I already know you love her. This story just seems, useless." Joey shrugged.

Darren licked his lips and sat himself on the edge of the couch. "Let's just run through a few facts okay?"

Joey nodded. "Okay."

'Your wedding was July 18, 2016 right?" Darren asked

"Yeah but I don't get your—"

Darren put his hand up before Joey could finish. "I later found out that Julia was the one who came over to my apartment the day Mia was there. That day was exactly a month after we had sex. The night of your wedding I didn't use a condom. Well granted I was too fucked up to remember to use one. Anyway, three days later Julia announced she was pregnant through artificial insemination. To everyone it seemed logic, because everyone didn't know the two of us fucked the month previous."

Joey wasn't following; it was obvious in the way his eyebrows furrowed into one. "Where are you going with this Darren?" he asked.

Darren took a deep breath and blurted out his theory. "I think I'm Matthew's father."

**YAAAYYY! Another chapter! Again the next one will be when Julia tells Darren. HORRAYYY! Anyway, I hope you like the ending of this one. I'm really happy with it. Please continue to review; I love them as much as I love you guys! Thanks for reading! Until next time! :* **


	9. Chapter 9

**I AM SO SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED! I've been doing a lot the passed few months. But I'll try and update more often now. Especially since it's my summer break! I'll skip the intro! Here's the chapter! Darren's confronting Julia! **

**October 23, 2021 **

Julia looked at herself in the mirror with her head cocked as she flattened her dress out. She sighed. There was no way in hell she could do this. She couldn't confront Darren after all these years. Her heart simply couldn't handle it.

Julia's little sister Anna was leaning against the doorframe with her eight-month-old daughter Chandler on her hip. "You look beautiful Jules." She finally said walking in and sitting on her sisters cluttered bed.

Julia turned to look at her sister and niece. "I cant to this Anna…I don't think I can face him after all these years. I don't want to lose him, but I feel like I already have…" she trailed off, there was a slight sting in her heart.

"He needs to know Julia. And maybe things won't turn out the way you want them to, but maybe they will. He's a good guy, and I think he deserves a chance."

"When did you become the big sister?" Julia said with a smile.

Anna shrugged with a laugh. "You're already 45 minutes late Jules. I've got Matthew under control. Go have fun, and go get your man!" She stood up and handed her sister her clutch. "It'll be okay. I promise."

Julia smiled. 'Thank you." She took the clutch, kissed her sister, niece and son before exiting her apartment. This was it.

_Darren had literally tried on 15 different shirt and pant combos for tonight's event. He was pretty sure all his friends knew about Lauren's pregnancy, and this party was really just a formality. He talked it over with Joey and he agreed Darren could do a short set at the party. He wanted his music to explain to Julia that he loved her because he knew he would shit his pants if he tried to confront her. He came up with a handful of songs, Teenage Dream being the first, and Sami coming right after. He knew in order to make an impression he'd have to change all the Sami's back to Julie's. _

_All he really wanted her to know was that he was really in love with her, and that he had an inkling about Matthew. He wasn't going to get mad, he just wanted to know why she had hid it from him. He just wanted to live with the love of his life and his "son". All he wanted was happiness. _

_He stared at himself in the mirror and bullied himself over whether or not to put gel in his hair. He decided not to, he knew that Julia always preferred his loose curls. After about four hours of preparation he was ready to go to the Richter's home. _

Julia drove to Lauren and Joey's place in silence. No music was played as she tried to figure out how she'd tell Darren. She couldn't do it in front of everyone, and she didn't want to do it alone. Before she could figure out a plan she was in front of the house. _Shit. _

She walked in and Lauren rushed over to her. "I didn't think you were going to show up, since _you know who_ is here." She bobbed her head over towards Darren who seemed to be having some sort of intriguing conversation with Walker and Denise.

Julia gulped as she saw him laughing. His curls were loose, and he had on rather tight black pants and a purple Burberry button down. The first two buttons were undone exposing a bit of dark chest hair. He looked beautiful, and Julia felt like she was going to be sick. "I can't do this Lauren." She whispered to her best friend.

'Yes. You can." She said before she was ushered away to carry on with some business elsewhere. Julia was ready to book it. She turned back to where Darren was standing but he was gone. Julia wondered where on earth he could have gone.

She took a glass of champagne off a tray and started to walk around but she suddenly stopped when she heard familiar notes coming from the piano in the back room. A small little audience was gathered around the black baby grand as Darren's fingers lightly tapped on the keys.

"You guys know I can't keep my hands off a piano." He laughed and started to play the opening of _Teenage Dream_. "Before I start this song, I always feel like it's necessary to give the background story to why this is so important to me." He continued to tap on the keys as he spoke. "I use to think the reason this song spoke to me because of the opportunity it had given me as an actor and a performer. I got to sing it twice on _Glee _giving a piece of myself to the song the second time around. But as I got older I realized that this song really speaks to my teenage self. I think we all fall in love at one point in our life and we find this person who makes us feel a certain way, and when we find that person we should try very hard to keep them with us and never let them go." At this point Darren was scanning the room for Julia. He had seen her come in but he was too nervous to approach her. He figured singing about her would be his best way of communication. He was better at portraying his feelings through words anyway.

As he started to play Julia could feel her emotions take over her. Those words spoke to her, that song was their relationship. She tried not to watch him but the way his veins struck from his neck, the way his fingers danced on the keys. She loved it and hated it at the same time. She hated herself for falling in love with him; she hated herself for thinking things could be different. But she more than anything hated herself for keeping Matthew away from his father, his beautiful, kind, loving father.

_Lets go all the way tonight _

_No regrets just love _

_We can dance until we die _

_You and I, we'll be young forever _

_At this point Darren didn't know if anyone else was in the room. All he saw, and all he cared about was Julia. He loved her, he had loved her from the moment he met her and he wanted her to know that. He wanted her to know about the ring, the unexcused absents from too many Judas rehearsals. But most importantly he wanted her to know he was always going to be there for her and Matthew, no matter what. _

As Darren finished the song he still couldn't see anyone but Julia. "This next song is an oldie. I wrote it at the end of my sophomore year of college for Little White Lie."

Suddenly Darren was broken from his trance as Mark yelled "We are Love Grenade."

Darren laughed and looked for Julia yet again. She looked worried, afraid of what he could possibly say next. "Anyway, this song was not just written for the show. In order for me to get the lyrics out I needed to relate it to something, to someone. I've never sung it the original way to anyone before but I realized it's about time I did. Ladies and gentlemen for the first time EVER I give you…._Julie_.

Julia was in a daze until she heard her name. Before she could even realize it she heard a shatter as her champagne glass hit the ground. She wanted to run, but her legs wouldn't move. She desperately wanted to hear him say those words about her. The words she longed to hear him sing.

_Julie, Julie _

_Why can't you see? _

_What you're doing to me_

She covered her mouth and ran. She thought she could do it but she couldn't. Julia couldn't take it; she couldn't listen to those beautiful words be spoken about her. She didn't deserve it.

She pushed the door open and ran out into the pouring rain that must have started when she was inside. She was happy with the rain, at least it masked the tears. She cursed under her breath for parking so far away. She pulled her heels off as she started towards her car. She heard the house door slam and a familiar voice call her name.

"Julia!" Darren yelled. "Julia wait!" He ran as fast as he could towards her and almost slipped on the mud as he reached her. "Where are you going?"

"Darren, please. Just let me go." Julia tried to push him away but he came back. She felt his soft fingers wipe her eyes.

"I won't let you leave this time…I can't let you leave…" He tried to wipe her wet face with his sleeve but it was useless. His shirt was soaked and stuck to his body.

"Darren please…"

"Julia…I know why you ran away. I know why you've been hiding from me these last few years. I know you came to my apartment that night when Mia opened the door…I know what's going on."

"Darren…I wanted to tell you. I swear I wanted to…but I couldn't. When I saw her there I didn't have the heart to tell you…" Her words were broken. She wanted to take back all of the mistakes she had made and fix it but she knew it was too late. She'd never really regain his trust.

"I love you Julia. I've always loved you." Darren ran his fingers through her dripping brown hair.

"Please don't do this. You shouldn't be acting like this. You should be cursing my name. I lied to you Darren…I lied to you…"

"I don't care. I mean, yeah I wish you told me. But there's a lot I never told you. But it doesn't matter. I love you. And I want you. Both of you."

Before Julia could rebuttal Darren's soft lips were pressed against hers. She had been waiting for this moment for far too long. She felt Darren's tongue run across her lip, and she slowly opened her mouth allowing Darren's tongue to enter. She didn't care that her dress was ruined, her hair was sticking to her forehead, or her makeup was running down her face. All she cared about was Darren, and how sweet it was to finally have him in her arms once again.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I wanted them to be sappy. I can't see Darren as the angry type. Especially when he's in love. Please review. I've missed them terribly. And please feel free to give me an idea of where you want to see Julia and Darren. Until next time! **

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